How to Choose a Blow Dryer

They say only a bad carpenter blames his tools. When it comes to styling your hair, however, having the right tools can make the difference between loving your good hair days and wanting to wear a hat whenever you leave the house. To make styling your hair easier and more rewarding, you should have the best hair dryer for you. Follow these steps to find that crucial tool.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Wattage is important. The higher the wattage of your hair dryer, the more powerful the heat and air flow will be. There’s nothing worse than wasting your precious morning minutes waiting on a weak blow dryer. Make sure yours has at least 1750 watts. If you have thick hair, we recommend a dryer with between 1900 and 2000 watts for the quickest drying time possible.

2. Considering your hair type is also important. Those with naturally curly hair they want to show off will need a hair dryer with a diffuser attachment for frizz-free styling.

3. If you use your blow dryer to straighten your hair, we recommend one with ceramic and tourmaline technology. A hair dryer with a ceramic heater gives off stronger and more even heat to help straighten your hair while the tourmaline (negative ion emitting crystals) promotes smooth and shiny hair.

4. If you use your blow dryer to straighten your hair, you should also look for one that comes with a nozzle attachment. This focuses the air stream directly where you need it whiile it promotes faster and smoother hair drying. To eliminate fly away hairs, be sure to point the nozzle of the hair dryer in a slightly downward direction at the section of hair you are drying.

5. A blow dryer with variable speeds and heat controls is always a good buy. Use the higher heat and air settings to remove excess moisture from your hair when you start to style it. Switch to lower settings for more precise and less-damaging styling when you're almost done.

6. Those with fine or easily damaged hair should also choose a blow dryer with variable settings. Keeping the heat setting as low as possible will provide gentler styling to vulnerable, fine locks.

7. If you have a hairstyle that relies on flips or is tricky to set, you need a dryer with a cool shot button. It'll make locking in that hairstyle a cinch. For example, to lock in a flip at the bottom of your hairstyle, use a vent brush to flip the hair out and point the nozzle of your blow dryer up and under that section of hair. Once the hair is heated and dried, press the cool shot button and give the section of hair a cold blast of air for four to five seconds. Heated hair is more pliable. It can lose its shape but cooling the section off quickly prevents this.

8. A dryer's weight is another important factor. Some blow dryers can be quite heavy and cause your wrists and arms to tire out half way through your hair styling. If you have short hair, you dryer's weight may not be an issue; but for those with long hair that need to spend any longer than 10 minutes drying it, we suggest purchasing a light model. Some weigh less than 2 lbs.

9. Price is the last but sometimes the most important factor. Hair dryers can range in price from $30 to a whopping $140. While higher-end models do tend to have all the bells and whistles, a perfectly good dryer comes equipped with great features for around $40 or $60. Only the slightly more expensive ones will have both the ceramic and tourmaline technology. Still, you can easily get all the features you want from a blow dryer for well under $100.

Tips & Warnings

• Shop around before buying a blow dryer. Compare prices with what features the blow dryer comes with. You should be able to find a mid-priced blow dryer with all the features you need.
• Though you want a blow dryer that heats up enough to dry and style your hair, remember that overusing heated tools can damage your hair. Only use the a high heat setting when it's needed. Be sure to condition your hair well to avoid drying out your hair.

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[ashiflett]

on 8/12/2007 Very informative! Thanks for sharing!